


Through, New

by curiouswildflower



Series: Bend, Mend Verse [3]
Category: Do No Harm (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, But Mostly Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, also for your trigger warnings, the way I like it, this is just soft and loving tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27352663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouswildflower/pseuds/curiouswildflower
Summary: "Vanessa’s apartment has a tiny strip of balcony outside the kitchen. Separate from the fire escape, a small wooden and metal thing that has always seemed somewhat fragile to Ruben."
Relationships: Ruben Marcado/Usnavi (In the Heights)/Vanessa (In the Heights)
Series: Bend, Mend Verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/774753
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Through, New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thisstableground](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisstableground/gifts).



> i don't have an explanation. for sophia, because duh.

Vanessa’s apartment has a tiny strip of balcony outside the kitchen. Separate from the fire escape, a small wooden and metal thing that has always seemed somewhat fragile to Ruben. When he finds Usnavi leaning on the railing just before dawn he steps out to join him, pressing their legs together but leaning back against the cool brick of the building.

Usnavi tips his hat to him, making Ruben smile. He notices the cigarette in Usnavi’s fingers and holds out his hand, flicking his thumb like a lighter. The little sustained flame he produces makes Usnavi smile, and he quietly thanks Ruben as he lights his cigarette.

Ruben waits, breathing and feeling the cold air all the way down into his throat. Usnavi smokes.

“They weren’t benders.”

Ruben knocks their feet together to show he’s listening. 

“They hadn’t had benders in their family for generations. My air was a complete surprise, and I was relentless once I realized it could get me things. Knocking shit off of the counter, off of shelves at the store. Eventually I learned how to lift myself up enough to jump and grab what I wanted – much sneakier that way.”

“My first girlfriend was a water-bender. She said when she was little she would constantly flood her bathtub.”

Usnavi smiles, stubbing out the cigarette on the railing and flicking the butt down towards the street. He reaches for Ruben with the same hand and Ruben uncrosses his arms to take it, pulling Usnavi to lean back against him. Usnavi goes, tucking his head into Ruben’s neck. 

“I wanted Dad’s coffee once. I knocked it off the counter. The mug shattered and the coffee was really fucking hot. All over my feet.”

His fingers are cold, laced with Ruben’s.

“They weren’t even upset, you know? They just wanted to make sure I was okay. Ma made sure my feet weren’t burned, Dad cleaned up the floor. They only scolded me to make sure I knew not to do that anymore, but I was scared. Lesson learned. Ma even helped me find Dad a new mug for Christmas.”

Ruben rubs his thumb across Usnavi’s knuckles. He turns and presses a kiss against the worn fabric of Usnavi’s hat and feels Usnavi laugh into his shoulder. 

“Do you want to come back to bed? I’ll try to shove V over, free up the window-side.”

“Nah.” Usnavi stands, stretching. “I won’t be able to sleep. Go keep her warm, I’ll start on breakfast.”

Ruben steps forward and presses a kiss to the corner of Usnavi’s mouth before ducking back inside. 

\--- 

“Did you always want to be a scientist when you grew up?”

Ruben startles away from watching the very handsome bartender’s very handsome hands shake up a cocktail. Vanessa’s leaning heavy on her elbows, eyebrows raised as she takes a long pull from the straw of her ridiculous drink. The ice and fruit rattle around as she swirls her glass.

“Hello, Dr. Marcado?”

Ruben sips his own fruity nightmare, thinking. “Pretty much. Thought about different kinds of science, but yeah. Wanted to wear the lab coat, study new things.”

Vanessa nods several times, looking down as she tries to spear a strawberry with her straw. She succeeds after several attempts and laughs when Ruben leans forward and sticks out his tongue so she’ll feed it to him. 

“What about you, Miss Garcia?”

Vanessa keeps nodding as she looks around, though now she might be dancing to the music. She always picks up on the background music when they’re out, even though Ruben can barely discern it from the chatter around them.

“I wanted to be plenty of things. The president, for a while. A pilot, or an astronaut. A reporter.”

“You would’ve been wonderful in any of those jobs.”

The smile she gives him is sticky-sweet, nose scrunched and her tongue sticking out. She rolls her eyes when he insists, “I’m serious!”

“I wanted to be powerful. I wanted to go places, and I wanted people to listen to me.”

Ruben reaches across their rickety table, tangling their fingers together. She rubs her thumb across his knuckles and he can barely make out her dark purple manicure in the dim lighting.

“Also if you want to do some astronaut role-play I bet Usnavi would be super into that.”

Vanessa cackles, teetering on the edge of her tall chair. Ruben laughs at his own joke, and at her happiness.

“Querido, I know you’re smart, but what would that even look like?”

Ruben shrugs, draining his drink and chewing the piece of pineapple from the bottom of his glass. “I dunno, give him a week and I bet Usnavi could figure something out.”

\---

Mama visits for Ruben’s birthday. He takes her to all the museums he thinks she’ll enjoy. Takes her to all of the restaurants he wants her to try. It’s exhausting, but she wears her joy openly and he soaks it up as he drags her around the city.

It’s a sunny morning as they walk arm-in-arm through Central Park. Mama is telling him about Mercedes’ senior project and he’s trying to listen, but the spring weather has the park packed and it’s been a long few days.

“Ruben,” Mama says seriously, and Ruben tries not to tense up. “You know I don’t need all of this, right?”

Ruben carefully keeps walking, chewing on his lip. Mama continues, “Conejito. You always show me such wonderful things when I’m here. And I know you’re proud to be here, but this isn’t really your New York, is it?”

Ruben glances over and sees her worried look. He looks away, shaking his head.

She squeezes his arm. “Today, let me buy lunch. Then we'll both have a nap and I'll cut your hair, and I’ll cook for the three of you.”

There’s a certainty in her tone. He can tell she’s been thinking about this for a while. He squeezes her hand on his arm and starts to steer them in the direction of the train station that will take them back to his neighborhood. “That sounds wonderful, Mama.”

He can see when she nods, determined. His chest feels hot – bright with the awareness of just how many people he has who love him.


End file.
